This application claims the priority of German patent document 197 45 652.9, filed Oct. 16, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to an arrangement for assuring electrical contact with electronic components in a removable vehicle seat.
In vehicles with removable seats, particularly front passenger seats with a locking device which facilitates mechanical detachment of the seat from its vehicle body anchoring, assuring reliable contact of electronic devices on or in the seat side is problematic. This is particularly important for those components with a safety-relevant function which influences the triggering of air bags (such as a seat occupation recognition function, a child seat recognition function, a buckle switch function, etc.). In addition, a seat heater may need to be contacted.
In a known arrangement of the above-mentioned type, an electric plug-type connection forms an electric disconnecting point, particularly a signal disconnecting point. It is arranged, for example, in the lateral area of the seat on the center dome or on the B-column, and connects the seat-side electronic components to the vehicle-body-side loom of cables. In order to bridge the adjusting range of the seat in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the contacting arrangement of the plug-type connection is constructed, at least on one side, as a flexible cable (cable tail).
In such configurations, however, the problem occurs that it is easy to neglect to separate the plug-type connection prior to removal of the seat. Since comparatively high mechanical forces may occur during the removal of the seat, this omission may result in a destruction of the plug-type connection.
It is an object of the invention to provide a connection arrangement which avoids unintentional destruction of the plug-type connection during the removal of the seat.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the connection arrangements according to the invention in which the plug-type connection must first be disconnected manually by the operator in order to unlock the seat. Only then will the unlocking of the seat be released. This effectively prevents a plug-type connection which accidentally was not disconnected from being destroyed by the forces occurring during the removal of the seat. The apparatus is reasonable in cost, robust and not very susceptible to becoming dirty.
In one embodiment of the invention, an electric plug-type connection is provided which, during the installation and removal of the seat, is automatically contacted or decontacted by the relative movement of the seat. Destruction of the plug-type connection during removal of the seat is prevented because the movement of the seat, until the plug-type connection is separated, is guided by means of suitable guiding devices along a contacting trajectory adapted to the plug-type connection. Another advantage of this embodiment is the fact that, during the installation of the seat, the electronic devices contained therein are automatically put in contact with the vehicle-body-side loom of cables.